The Bar
by SoDunne
Summary: Eric job wears him down, and it sometimes sucks the life out of him. But Tris is there now, and she can make it better. The problem is that he thinks he has to protect her. (7/? in the Chasm series)


**AN: I don't know where this came from, but it furthers the plot of this series sooooo it works -** **Minor OC being introduced. And my writing style is differen't here, let me know if it works or if you don't like it.**

 ***Disclaimer* I don't own anything related to the Divergent franchise. Just the OC in here.**

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There's a deep pang in Eric's chest as he slams his empty shot glass back onto the bar counter. He beckons the bartender for another drink - Faye is older than him, only by a year and she was his neighbor growing up in Erudite. She _knows_ him, and she knows that he's hit and past his cut off for the night, but she won't stop serving him because he'll just make a scene. Tonight seems worse than usual, and the air that always follows him around seems thicker tonight. He sends away the young woman who was pestering him for a _chat_. That was nothing new - not for the past few months anyway.

Faye notices the bags under his eyes as she fills two more shot glasses with a dark brown liquor she just grabbed from a shelf. It's loud in the bar, and she has to yell as she pushes the shot glasses toward his limp left hand. "What the hell happened to you? You look like shit."

Eric let's out a dry laugh while simultaneously downing the shots, one after the other. "You know what happened." There's a slight slur to his words, but she knows he's not _that_ drunk. The problem isn't that he's got a few in him, but he's still aware - just less inhibited by decorum. Which means, if the right - or wrong, depending on your perspective - person pisses him off, there's an even higher chance she'll end up having to have him dragged out of the bar by Greg and Vince - security. She's seen it happen and she also knows it's one of those melodramatic nights where he's regretting everything in his life and wants to drink it all away. Faye knows about Jeanine and her pull and influence in Eric's life - everyone from back _home_ knows. And she also knows it's a the first Monday of the month - Jeanine's debriefing from last month and presentation of the new agenda. Faye knows way more than Eric tells anyone else.

"Do I gotta call Tris to come get your drunk ass?" Faye asks, smirking at him as she grabs the phone she keeps behind the counter.

Eric flips her off, knowing that this is her way of telling him to stop being a baby and just deal with his shit - and a reminder that he can't keep doing things like this. "You don't get it." Eric sighs, just grabbing the bottle of liquor she left just within his reach. He takes a swig and then wipes his mouth with the back of his band.

"Get what?" Faye rolls her eyes and Eric has to resist his urge to snap at her. But he's still aware and so he knows he's not being very clear.

"She can't do this." Eric leans forward like his world is shattering with every word that slips from his mouth and another thought is formed.

"Eric, buddy, you aren't making any sense." Faye is annoyed. Every time, he comes into her bar, and does this. She looks around and sees couples swaying to music and different groups engaging in happy, friendly talk, appropriate for the setting. And here Eric is, being all cryptic over work. "What can't Tris do?"

"Not Tris." Eric exhales deeply, running his hands through the unstyled hair on the top of his head. After today, the day he had, it was enough to make him wish Tris hadn't chosen to be a leader. But he wasn't talking about her. "Jeanine."

"What did the Ice Queen do now?" Faye asks as she starts wiping the bar counter down - she's closing soon.

"Tris's been snooping, got too close to the truth." Eric drops his face into his hands, a deep sigh follows his silence. "She wants me to recruit Tris."

Faye knows what he means. Eric told her what he's been doing since he became a leader, which means she knows the danger Eric is in every time he defies Jeanine and gets around killing a divergent. She knows he's putting himself and her in danger every time he even walks into her bar. She knows what will happen if he doesn't do what Jeanine wants. "Do it then. We both know Jeanine wasn't asking, she was telling you." Faye says, gauging his reaction - he doesn't do well when he's reminded that he has other people he will lose if he defies the reality of his job. The temperature of the room seems to drop ten degrees and Faye can feel the goosebumps on her arms.

"No." Eric shakes his head. He pulls the bar keypad to the other side and punches in a few numbers, but Faye stops him.

"On the house." Faye tries to smile, but she can't. And Eric knows. He tries to walk away, but he can't, and so he ends up just sitting there. "You have to tell her." Faye continues.

Eric snorts sarcastically before he says, "And tell her what exactly?"

Faye picks up her phone, "House call, connect me to Tris's room." Faye listens to the ringing and holds the receiver to her chest as she looks over her shoulder back at Eric. "The truth. All of it. Because let's be honest, I don't need to know all of this, she does." She leaves him with that and lifts the phone.

 _"Hello?" Tris answers groggily, but Faye knows she's prepared. "Faye?"_

"Yup," Faye laughs apologetically, "It's me and he's here."

 _"Alright." Tris sighs, hanging up. She's coming and they all know she's used to getting that call. 3 months in, she's beyond used to getting that call._

Faye chuckles, "She's gonna get tired of this." She says to Eric, and he nods.

"I know." He sighs, his mind foggy but just clear enough. "I've gotten my fair share of calls too you know?" He says, and Faye knows it's the truth. There have been nights when Tris doesn't go home after work or spends time with her friends - she gets drunk some nights, and sits above the chasm like a crazy person - but she never cries, she just gets super quiet. Or other times, she goes to the gym and beats the hell out of a punching bag until her knuckles bleed. She's angry about the way things in the faction are and how secretive everyone in leadership is, and that she seems to be put in charge of the minuscule tasks. She misses home, and she still hates what Peter, Drew and Al tried to do to her.

Eric is the one they call from the surveillance office - it's always Will, and he always sounds a little amused by the fact it's Eric that he's calling.

"You both have terrible coping skills, you know that right?" Faye jokes, but he knows she's right. He laughs despite the truth, and she knows it's because he could laugh or cry. And hell, she knows he'll always choose to laugh.

People are filing out of the bar entrance when Tris squeezes her way in. She walks up behind Eric and kisses his shoulder - just like every other time she has to go get him because he's stuck in his seat. "Hi." She greets them both.

Eric turns and kisses her soundly on the mouth. And like every other time, he tastes of liquor. Her arms snake around his neck to keep him where he's at, to keep him lips on hers. Faye rolls her eyes but leaves them be so she can clean her bar and check inventory for the night.

Tris is always the one to pull away with a giggle. She lets him brush her hair out of her face and kiss her forehead. "That's new." She mutters. Eric sighs and she can tell something is wrong. "What's the matter?"

Eric will tell her eventually, just not now. "It's nothing."

She looks over his shoulder at Faye, who gives her a reassuring nod that everything is fine. Sometimes though, Tris knows they're lying. She looks back at Eric, "Will you tell me later?"

He nods, brushing her hair from her face a second time, kissing her again. It's sweet and loving, like he wants her to remember him that way. He pecks her lips one last time before he places his forehead on hers and they share a breath.

"Mhm." He answers her question. "Later." He stares at the tattoo on her neck - the leadership tattoo. His stomach churns.

Tris steps away from him, "I'll be right back." She says, walking away with a determined look on her face. Eric watches her as she walks over to the table Faye is cleaning.

Tris grabs empty beer bottles - everything is glass these days because they seem to have sand and fire in abundance. She puts the bottles in the trash bin Faye rolls from table to table. "He's fine." Faye says in a hushed tone as she wipes the table down and they step over to another table. "It's just one of those nights."

Tris knows what day it is and who came to visit. "Jeanine." Faye pauses but recovers quickly. Tris wants to know why Eric always gets so on edge whenever the Erudite leader makes an appearance, "She can't be that bad, can she?"

"Remember those articles from Erudite about Abnegation?" Faye asks Tris as they both throw beer bottles into the trash.

"Mhm." Tris looks back at Eric, smiling at him for reassurance. But she's uneasy and she knows he can tell.

"Multiply that horribleness by like 10." Faye moves to walk away, but Tris is not done.

"What does she have on him?" Tris is begging with her expression, there is a longing in her eyes.

Faye crosses her arms and hesitates and Tris can see it. "His whole life, everything that defines him as a person." Faye ruffles her short brown hair and sucks in her lip ring. She looks back at Tris and crosses her arms, "And you."

Tris laughs because she firmly believes Faye is joking. "What?"

"You need to ask him." Faye turns away and pushes the trash bin across the room, leaving Tris standing with her mouth open.

Tris looks back at Eric and she can tell he knows that something is up. Tris shakes her head, Faye was lying, that was the only explanation. Tris wasn't Eric's achilles heel, she couldn't be. She wasn't that important to Jeanine - there was no way Jeanine knew that she was Divergent. Why would it even be a problem, and why was Eric involved? Tris tried to push her thoughts away as she came to stand in front of Eric. Everything was fine and she was thinking too hard, "Ready?" She asks Eric and he nods, taking her hand.

"Mhm." Eric slides off the bar stool, and throws his arm around Tris's shoulder. His fingers play with the thin fabric of her tank top. Tris shivers from the contact and slides her hand over his back, tucking her index and middle fingers under a loop of his jeans.

Eric looks over his shoulder at Faye - the expression on his face deadly. She rolls her eyes and grabs her keys, pocketing them. She knows he's angry with her, but he'll get over it because he knows she was right and just in telling Tris what she had. He didn't like that Faye was forcing his hand on the matter. But again, Faye was right and he was wrong.

He kissed Tris's temple as they walked out of the bar and into the Pit. There were still people out and about, laughing and being stupid - drunk. Eric felt like they were being watched, he looked up at the cameras high above on the roof of the Pit. There weren't Dauntless cameras following them, there were Erudite ones.

Completely oblivious to his inner monologue - and his dark thoughts and realizations - Tris looked up at him, stopping them in the middle of the Pit, "Your place, or mine?"


End file.
